Complete Treatise on the mare and foal at the time of delivery, with illustrations.: Also on cows and calves, with stallion and mare, when diseased by Gonorrhea (clap) or Pox, also Diarrhea and Costiveness in Colts

In Short

Conrad Mitchell’s 1869 treatise provides a comprehensive field manual for farmers and breeders on managing the delivery of mares and cows, addressing mal-presentations, and treating conditions such as gonorrhea, diarrhea, and costiveness. Drawing on nineteen years of extensive veterinary practice in rural Pennsylvania, the author outlines precise manual procedures, medicinal compounds, and surgical interventions necessary when professional assistance is hours away. The work has endured as a primary historical record of mid-nineteenth-century veterinary obstetrics and local agricultural husbandry.

The Story

The text begins with an extensive historical preamble tracing the lineage of the horse from biblical antiquity and Solomon’s vast stables to nineteenth-century scientific investigations. The author establishes that despite advances in veterinary medicine, the critical juncture of parturition in mares and cows has been persistently overlooked, leaving farmers without illustrated guides when facing emergencies.

Moving from historical context into practical instruction, the work details the anatomical development of the foal within the womb, the gestation period, and the normal mechanism of delivery. It immediately introduces the primary conflict of the manual: the danger of mal-presentation, where an improperly positioned foal threatens the life of both offspring and dam within minutes. The narrative progresses systematically through various false presentations—such as retained head, backward feet, and multiple-limb emergence—detailing the exact manual maneuvers required to correct each crisis.

The methodology continues through specific case studies from Union and Snyder counties, illustrating how stubborn interventions and exhausted assistants are overcome by the practitioner's persistent resolve. From there, the scope widens to cover the cow and calf, detailing gestation differences, cleansing procedures, and calf diarrhea. The narrative then shifts to the pathology and treatment of equine gonorrhea or pox, recounting how a diseased stallion infected numerous mares across the region, prompting rigorous washing and topical applications of nitrate of silver.

The work concludes by addressing secondary ailments in young livestock, including costiveness in colts, general debility, wound management via chloride of lime, and brief appendices containing practical husbandry hints for fattening hogs and sheltering sheep.

How It Unfolds

The historical introduction establishes the cultural significance of the horse from biblical times onward and highlights the glaring absence of practical, illustrated literature on equine delivery.

The anatomy of gestation explains the development of the foal over 330 days, detailing the function of internal membranes, fluids, and the umbilical connection that nourishes the unborn colt.

The natural delivery outlines the correct positioning of the front feet and muzzle, the proper handling of the navel cord, and the normal resting and rolling behavior of the mare after birth.

The correction of false presentations details grueling manual interventions where the operator must grease the arm, push back misplaced limbs, and pull the neck or head into alignment under severe physical exertion.

The management of bovine birth contrasts the gestation period of cows with mares, noting the greater endurance of calves and providing specific instructions for treating retained afterbirth.

The treatment of the pox documents the outbreak of venereal disease among regional stallions and mares, prescribing thorough cleansing with chloride of lime and localized caustic treatments.

The care of colts and wounds addresses neonatal ailments such as costiveness, diarrhea, and weakness, while concluding with antiseptic treatments for deep wounds and general husbandry tips for hogs and sheep.

The People

Conrad Mitchell serves as the central practitioner and narrator, driven by a deep sense of mercy for the mare and foal and a determination never to fail in an emergency. Bound by the limitations of the era's communication and the absence of nearby surgeons, he labors for hours in rural stables, risking his own physical health—ultimately suffering chronic heart palpitations from overexertion—to rescue animals and educate local farmers.

Mr. George Braucher and John Deabler appear as local property owners and farmers whose premises become sites of difficult obstetrical interventions. Their hired hands and neighborhood assistants represent the collective community effort—often numbering several men working until exhaustion—that frequently fails before Mitchell's specialized knowledge is summoned.

Christian Kerr is a horse owner whose stallion brings the venereal disease of gonorrhea into the community, precipitating a widespread local crisis that requires Mitchell to consult human physicians and master a novel veterinary treatment. Mr. B. Cramer and Mr. Uriah Berger act as midnight messengers whose arrival interrupts the author's rest, initiating arduous nocturnal journeys across townships to manage complex foal presentations.

In Its Own Voice

If all is right, in five minutes all will be well, but if a false presentation is presented, the first person that approaches the animal should be able to administer to the wants of the mare and foal.

This observation emphasizes the author's core argument that immediate, knowledgeable intervention at the first sign of trouble is essential to prevent suffocation and save the animal's life.

I had made an effort about seven years ago, but that little instrument, the 'pen,' in my hand, is what the yoke is to the ox, and so I abandoned it for that time.

The author humorously illustrates his intense aversion to writing, contrasting the physical labor of farm work and veterinary practice with the frustrating task of authoring a book.

In my entire practice, I have failed but in three cases, that of two mares and one cow, to accomplish my object.

This statement highlights the author's stubborn determination and extensive field experience across decades of rural veterinary practice.

What It's Really About

The book is fundamentally an argument for the democratization of veterinary knowledge, asserting that life-saving obstetrical techniques should not remain locked within the domain of distant surgeons. Beneath the procedural instructions lies an exploration of the fragile relationship between human enterprise and livestock survival in nineteenth-century rural America. The text examines the physical toll that breeding and farm management place on animals, the vulnerability of agrarian livelihoods to disease and difficult births, and the moral imperative of the practitioner to alleviate suffering through methodical, hands-on intervention.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers interested in agricultural history, veterinary evolution, or nineteenth-century Americana will find this manual a fascinating window into rural life. Reading it feels like stepping directly into a dimly lit 1869 Pennsylvania stable, where survival depended on brute physical endurance, rudimentary chemistry, and practical observation.

The book is not without its difficulties; contemporary readers must navigate archaic medical terminology, harsh nineteenth-century treatments involving caustic chemicals and heavy bleeding, and a starkly utilitarian view of farm animals. Yet, readers will appreciate the author's unvarnished honesty regarding the exhaustion of his profession, the dangers of unmanaged infections, and the tangible realities of livestock breeding before the advent of modern veterinary pharmacology. What stays with the reader is the stark portrait of rural resilience—the midnight messengers, the hours of grueling physical labor in hot stables, and a local practitioner's unyielding resolve to master every affliction placed before him.

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